The Truth Behind the Myth

Ever heard the claim that a pound of muscle weighs more than a pound of fat? False! A pound is a pound (of feathers, glass, Jell-O—you name it). But because a pound of fat takes up about four times the space of muscle tissue, it’s possible to look and feel trimmer even if body weight remains the same. Of course, it’s also possible to weigh the same, but look and feel fatterSensitivity and specificity of the body mass index for the diagnosis of overweight/obesity in elderly. Vasconcelos Fde A, Cordeiro BA, Rech CR. Cadernos de Sa&uacute;de P&uacute;blica, 2011, Jun.;26(8):1678-4464. . This is especially evident among the elderly, as muscles tend to shrink with age because damaged muscle cells are repaired at a much slower rate than when they were young. (Your mind's not playing tricks on you—Grandma may actually be shorter these days). Plus, with reduced physical activity during the golden years, the ratio of muscle to fat tends to decrease as we get olderStrength and muscle mass loss with aging process. Age and strength loss. Keller K, Engelhardt M. Muscles, Ligaments and Tendons Journal, 2014, Feb.;3(4):2240-4554..